Generally, donors need to be discerning and donate to causes and organisation that they are familiar with.
First, take time to identify the charitable causes important to you. There are various worthy causes to support in Singapore, ranging from providing support for the young, the elderly, the disadvantaged and disabled, to education, environment protection and the arts. You can find out more about these causes from the SG Gives website.
All charities have to register themselves with the office of the Commissioner of Charities. If the solicitation is done on behalf of a local charity, you should verify that it is registered with the office of the Commissioner of Charities, by using the search function on the Charity Portal. If it is indeed a registered charity, you should initiate contact with it directly to find out more about its objectives, its intended beneficiaries, and the people who are responsible for the charity/IPC. Look at the charity's annual report and financial statement to get an idea of its operations. If third party fundraisers are involved in the appeal, do bear in mind that part of your contribution may be channelled towards the fundraising expenses.
If the solicitation is from an overseas charity, you may need to exercise more care and find out whether it is a bona fide charity registered with the regulator in its country, and perform a simple online search to find out more about it. A well-managed charity should subscribe to the principles of transparency and accountability. If necessary, you should clarify with the charity how the funds raised would be used, and how much of it would directly benefit its beneficiaries. On the whole, you should exercise greater caution when deciding whether or not to donate funds directly overseas.
Do not feel pressurised to give, you could contact or find out more about the charity and to give them at a later date.
You can find more information on this at
www.charities.gov.sg. Alternatively, you may contact us at 6337 6597 or email us at
MCCY_Charities@mccy.gov.sg.